Audio clip
Anne Curtis
The founder of Bridge Refugee and Sponsorship Services Inc. said more faith-based groups are stepping up to sponsor families searching for new lives in East Tennessee.
Ann Curtis, 65, who recently retired from the nonprofit agency, said the increase in community support has helped the organization resettle nearly 600 refugees in Chattanooga.
“Being sponsorship developer (in 1996) was mostly begging people to help us,” Ms. Curtis said. “I was trying to educate people about the importance of being with refugees, how volunteerism would benefit them as much, if not more, than the refugees.”
Now sponsors range from Mizpah Congregation and Tennessee Temple Seminary to the Salvation Army.
“It makes such a difference because they (refugees) feel like somebody besides our office is glad they are here,” Ms. Curtis said.
Bridge Refugee and Sponsorship Services Inc. is an ecumenical nonprofit group that recruits and trains church sponsors to help refugees, according to its Web site. All funding comes from the Department of State through either Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Office of Refugee Settlement or donations, Ms. Curtis said.
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Staff Photo by Meghan Brown -- Anne Curtis has left Bridge Refugee Services after nearly 12 years with the Chattanooga organization.
Bosnia natives Alma and Taib Terzic and their two daughters are among the refugees Ms. Curtis has assisted.
Mrs. Terzic said Bridge helped assimilate them into the local culture — from finding furniture for their new home to taking them to get Social Security cards.
“I didn’t speak any English, so I could not look for something (job) except for factories and fast food,” said Mrs. Terzic. “I never had one minute to spend in class to learn English, so they provided a translator.”
Mrs. Terzic, who now is a customer service supervisor over three departments at Kohl’, said she had never worked because her husband made enough money for their family. Her husband has become manager of a Burger King restaurant.
Ms. Curtis was hired by the Knoxville office of Bridge to establish a Chattanooga office in June 1996. Before then, the Knoxville office resettled refugees in Chattanooga, Ms. Curtis said.
She began as a part-time sponsorship developer, then was hired as the full-time coordinator in February 1997.
Ms. Curtis said she has never encountered prejudice or a refusal to help during her tenure at Bridge.
“To Americans, refugee families are immigrants. I don’t think Americans feel there is any stigma or shame in being a refugee, I think it’s the refugees. Nobody likes to feel they aren’t able to go back to their home country,” she said.
For example, she said a Bosnian refugee corrected her after she used the courtesy title “Mr.”
“He said ‘You can’t call me Mr. because I don’t own a house.’ In his mind, he was not really a man,” Ms. Curtis said.
Marina Peshterianu, 48, who has worked for Bridge for nine years, succeeded Ms. Curtis as coordinator of the organization. She has served as case manager, immigration specialist, early employment program coordinator and job developer. She and her husband, Nick, have one daughter.
Susan Palmer Pierce is a reporter and columnist in the Life department. She began her journalism career as a summer employee 1972 for the News Free Press, typing bridal announcements and photo captions. She became a full-time employee in 1980, working her way up to feature writer, then special sections editor, then Lifestyle editor in 1995 until the merge of the NFP and Times in 1999. She was honored with the 2007 Chattanooga Woman of ...
